Making a Case Against Player-Chosen Dialogue In Gaming

Writing is often done for oneself. The stories that come out of the writers are often loved by whoever experiences them, be it in any form of media. Even if a writer is creating something for an audience, there is a vision involved, as in where he or she might want to go.

In pursuit of satisfying the gamers, slight adjustments could be made, but by compromising what a writer intends. It is done by giving them a few choices that might affect the original narrative. There are consequences outside that game too.

A Linear Story Would Make the Gaming Experience Only Better

Branching timelines look good in cinematic experiences like that of Marvel. That’s not really the case with video games. Take Mass Effect 3 for example; the entire game was great, but the ending didn’t give the closure fans wanted. There’s still a lot of debate on this matter.

You see the irony there? Even players didn’t like what was included with keeping them in mind. Maybe the creators should’ve left the writers to their own devices. A linear narrative may have given that dull edge some perfection.

It makes it easy to remember too. There is no outcome other than Joel killing the fireflies in The Last of Us. That is what gave Abby the edge in The Last of Us Part 2. We wouldn’t be able to witness the change of heart Ellie shows in it otherwise.

And with an ambiguous ending like that of in The Last of Us 2, there’s a chance we will get to see more of a beautiful narrative. Maybe Ellie and Abby become allies for that matter. A happy ending.

The unconventional setting in Metal Gear Solid games, especially Sons of Liberty, is still loved by the fans. After a couple of decades, that video game still sparks curiosity among them. Hideo Kojima certainly knows what it takes to turn a video game into a movie.

A dialogue tree is great, as it does bring variety in a video game, but then the outcome may not prove to be what a writer might have envisioned. I wouldn’t want my character to reach somewhere via a different route.

Everyone Wants Things to Go Their Way, But At What Cost?

If a story needs a different outcome in the same timeline, it has to be the writer of the story who needs to make that decision. All the satisfaction is gone down the drain when a narrative goes off the rails. “Nobody panics when things go according to plan“, Joker said once.

A writer may develop one great story for a game, but what if it is manipulated in the middle by adding those choices for the users? Now if they choose a wrong one, they die. That is acceptable. But if the dialogue is one entrance to a different path? Not really.

The very essence of creating a story is to give it a path that fans can remember. Let them make those what-if theories, as that is always fun. Stacking them in the form of dialogue that changes the entire narrative isn’t exactly the Thanksgiving Turkey.

Story-based video games and films are actually very similar. The only difference being that you get to live the experience with the former. Now, can you imagine a different plot for your favorite movie?

For example, what if David Fincher decided that Tyler Durden wasn’t really a hallucination of Fight Club‘s unnamed narrator? The ending might be completely different, and then we would’ve also lost one of the greatest twists in fiction.

Linearity makes a story worth remembering, whether it’s a good one or not. It’s the same with dialogue. A writer wants to reach a certain point by going over a certain conversation. For them, there is no other way. It is just perfect.

It takes years and revisited drafts to create what speaks to a writer’s soul, but when an unintended helping hand appears to touch it, that’s not really a tickling experience. Sometimes, a user would like some variety in a video game’s story, but that’s something a writer may never agree with.

What would you do if your story is manipulated for user experience? We would like to know about it in the comments section below.